Action Comics #1078 review

Jon Kent is facing one of his father’s old foes, Grax.

The alien conqueror is crowing, knowing that the Sun is being drained to fuel the creation of mass in the Phantom Zone. That plot was the work of Aethyr, a crazed godlike being who, nevertheless, has just been defeated by Superman. The Man of Steel, back from his travels to the Zone and old Krypton, is able to help Jon and the rest of the Super Family stop Grax’s doomsday machine. Grax, though, gets away.

There’s no time to pursue him, all hands are needed at the Fortress of Solitude to come up with a plan, alongside science superhero Mr Terrific and Scarlet Speedster The Flash.

As it turns out, that would be only half of the problem sorted… destroying the machine in the Sun would cause a backlash in the Phantom Zone, likely killing everyone there. Including Superman’s friend Mon-El.

Superman comes up with a plan to save the criminals from Krypton who were condemned to serve their sentence in the Zone. Of course, if Mon-El escapes, the lead poisoning in his system would likely kill him…

The Super Family members are split into two teams, ready to give saving the solar system their best shot. Then they’re rudely interrupted by the new head of the Kandor Science Council, who says they have no right to try to save the Zoners. Her argument is that Krypton authorities sentenced them to be there, and Krypton authorities alone can grant ‘pardons’.

You can guess how Superman responds to the imperious inhumanity of this woman, whose obvious hatred of him doesn’t gel with the way other citizens of Kandor treat him. Is it a coincidence that she’s Bry-Zan, daughter of the last head of Krypton’s Science Council Ro-Zan, who was massively jealous of Superman’s birth father, Jor-El.

So, Superman Jr Jon and Supergirl Kara will borrow a Justice League spacecraft to free the Zoners onto a red sun world – meaning they won’t gain super-powers – while Superman uses a spacesuit jury rigged by Mr Terrific and Natasha Irons to fly to the heart of the Sun.

Chapter Nine of the ‘Phantoms’ storyline may be my favourite yet. It’s great to see Superman back leading the Super Family, whether that means Supergirl being quietly supportive or unexpected conflicted with Kon-El.

New character Bry-Zan apparently takes after her father… unless she also had a hideous mother. And what’s she doing in Kandor anyway? Could her parents have fled there before Krypton’s destruction? Is Daddy Ro going to pop up and be a pain too? Writer Mark Waid will surely reveal all.

Having problems on several fronts means there’s plenty for the Super Family to do, though it’d be nice to have a mention of what the Super Twins are up to. There is a good scene with Mon-El and some excellent insight as Kara explains what Kandor means to his dad.

That last is well drawn by Michael Shelfer, who has escaped the now-concluded side story with Superboy Kon and New Super-Man Kong to join Clayton Henry on the main storyline. Shelfer’s Supergirl is more doll-like than I prefer, but that’s the man’s style, and she’s certainly expressive. She’s more her usual self in the Henry pages, looking strong rather than fragile. It’s fun to see Silver and Bronze Age baddie Grax again, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Super Gang go after him in an epilogue to this tremendous 12-parter.

My favourite panel is this excellent composition by Henry.

Isn’t that great? There’s so much character in there, it’s a tribute to Henry’s skill. There are tremendous colours and letters, too, by Matt Herms and Dave Sharpe.

Plus, there is one heck of a cliffhanger.

The only thing I don’t like about this chapter is an editor’s note mentioning that the Supergirl back-up that’s been sharing Action Comics of late takes place after the Superman story, in all senses. I’d rather pretend it didn’t take place at all. I mean. The smart, together Girl of Steel in the Superman story is unrecognisable as the useless waste of space in Mariko Tamaki’s borefest.

We’re still with Kara as the mysterious prisoner tries to persuade her to kill them. They insist that Kara will do it because she’s full of ‘rage’. Kara has other ideas, as well as, apparently, a never-before-revealed psychic link with Power Girl despite gazillions of light years between them.

If I’m understanding the message of this typically opaque instalment, the conversation the prisoner has been having with Kara is all in her head, and she’s dreaming she’s in the Symbioship which brought Power Girl to Earth from her version of Krypton. It’s up to Peege to wake Supergirl from her stupor, because why should Kara get to do something in ‘her’ own story?

Or I’m getting this entirely wrong. Tamaki apparently delights in refusing to be even vaguely clear in her scripts.

The art is a lot better than the story deserves. Skylar Patridge is back after a couple of issues away, producing art that is at times hypnotic… the final image is spectacular. Marisa Louise continues to letter with style, while Becca Carey colours with care.

Superman is AWOL on the latest cover by Henry and colourist Tomeu Morey, but I do like the rest of the Super Family getting the spotlight. It’s a fine shot.

This run of Action Comics is proving very consistent – a fantastic Superman story followed by a frustrating missed opportunity on the Supergirl front. I don’t expect the back-up to improve at this point but I remain grateful for the main act.